B Corp score
As of May 2022, VP Capital is officially certified as a ‘B Corp’.
B Corp stands for Benefit Corporation. With the motto ‘using business as a force-for-good’, B Corps are working together to make the world a better place for their employees, customers, suppliers, local community and, of course, the environment. This growing community represents the only truly sustainable way of doing business: using a business as a positive force; being the change itself.
We believe it is important to be part of the B Corp movement. The independent review and transparency give an acceleration to the continuous progress we strive for. We feel a responsibility to create value that is broader than profit. Our investment policy focuses on the balance between risk, return and impact on all stakeholders. In this way, together with others, we want to make a lasting contribution to future-proof solutions for planetary and societal challenges.
An important part of the certification is an assessment based on a comprehensive questionnaire, which results in a score. The standard for admission to B Corp is 80 points. We achieved a score of 98.6 points during this first assessment. Also, as part of the B Corp certification, we amended our bylaws. The organization's social purpose is explicitly included and it is stipulated that the company is accountable to all stakeholders instead of just shareholders.
To remain a B Corp, we are required to recertify every three years. This requirement ensures that B Corp organizations remain focused on continuous development and improvement. We make it a sport to improve our score next time! The beauty of B Corp is that it inspires and challenges us to make the company even better. To achieve a higher score, the improvement must be demonstrable. Moreover, the assessment becomes increasingly strict as a company grows. In this way B Corp really grows with us.
Active ownership
We believe it is important to be actively involved. Too many shareholders are distanced from their investments. We want to be actively involved in at least 75% of our assets. That means we participate in boards, supervisory boards, advisory boards and Investment Committees. We are doing this with a number of people from our VP team and each of us will actively put sustainability on the agendas of our participations.
In addition, we want to add value to our investments on a legal, financial, strategic and sustainable level. We deploy knowledge, capital and our network to realize this added value within our companies.